Children check out the Florida Power and Light's DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center outside Arcadia, Florida. (Source: daylife)

The solar industry continues to shine brightly

As costs of solar deployments drop,
many are looking to get in on a piece of the action. Solar
shingles and solar
windows are just a couple of the promising technologies likely to
see mass production over the next few years. However,
traditional installations are also thriving.

Dell Computer
just received a completed 130
kW installation of Solar Trees at its headquarters in Round Rock,
Texas. The installation was designed by Envision Solar, BP
Solar, and Weitz Company. Contracting was handled by McBride
Electric.

The resulting parking lot, dubbed the Dell Solar
Grove, both provides 50 shady parking spots and clean green energy.
The lot also features Envision Solar's CleanCharge solar charging
stations using the Coulomb ChargePoint technology. These
stations will help charge current and upcoming plug-in vehicles, such
as the Tesla Roadster or 2011 Chevy Volt. The plan to use solar
to charge EVs is also being championed by Japanese automaker Nissan,
who looks to use solar to charge up its 2011
Leaf EV.

Also making solar news is the near
completion of the Soto Next Generation Solar Energy Center in
Arcadia, Florida. Owned by Florida Power & Light Company,
this 25 MW installation features 90,000 photovoltaic panels and will
go online by the end of this month. When it does go online, it
will become one of the nation's single largest solar installations.
Together with centers in Martin County and at NASA’s Kennedy Space
Center, Florida will be shortly getting 110 MW of new solar
generation capacity, boosting it to the second largest
solar-producing state in the nation.

The new Soto Center will
generate enough power for 3,000 homes. FPL Vice President and
Chief Development Officer Eric Silagy brags, "Large-scale solar
projects such as FPL’s DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center
provide Florida with the opportunity to create and attract more
clean-energy jobs and produce millions of dollars in new revenue for
local governments while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and
fighting the effects of climate change. Large-scale solar
projects such as FPL’s DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center
provide Florida with the opportunity to create and attract more
clean-energy jobs and produce millions of dollars in new revenue for
local governments while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and
fighting the effects of climate change."

The plant's
construction and maintenance have created 400 jobs. The project
will also generate an estimated $2M USD in annual tax revenues, which
will help fund schools and other local services, starting next year.
The center is estimated to cut nearly 575,000 tons of greenhouse gas
emissions -- the equivalent of taking 4,500 cars off the road.
It will also save 277,000 barrels of oil and 7 billion cubic feet of
natural gas.

While costs
are dropping, solar power costs per kWh remain higher than other
forms of alternative energy. Once that gap closes, expect solar
to see an even greater jump in interest. Until then projects
like these will surely continue across the nation, albeit at a slower
pace.

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